In volley ball tournaments, there has been no handy way to keep track of the rotation of the players from position to position in the rotation under required. For example, if a player is properly to be in the center front position and he is in another position, then that is occasion for a penalty. The penalty is serious. The penalty is either that the serving team loses its serving privilege, or if the receiving team is in violation, then the serving side receives the point in order to penalize the receiving side.
At the time a ball is served, it is necessary for the players of the teams each to be in his proper position. Once the ball has been served, then the players of either team can be in any position they wish.
The more frequent problem is the overlapping of players in which a player is touching the floor in an area in which another player is properly positioned. At such times, the umpire needs to know exactly what position each player should be in. Heretofore, the only way of keeping track of this was on pieces of paper, which is such a slow process that most of the time an umpire who sees an overlap cannot rule on it because he does not known who should be where. And this is true even of the most serious competition and the very best referees. It is true in state tournaments and college ball even.
It is an object of this invention to provide a counter with two rotating discs with indicia indicating six symbolic playing positions on each disc so that an umpire can mark on a disc beside a playing position the playing number of the player who is in that position. It is my concept that the rotating discs make it possible to shift the players from position to position with one single motion of a disc, by simply rotating it. This then substitutes for the previous need to move each player on paper from one position to another, making a very slow and hopeless scramble.
A particular object hereof is to provide more fair volley ball competition.
Heretofore, the rule on proper rotation has been substantially unenforceable, almost as though the rule had never been made.
I have conceived that if the first playing position is the serving position at right back and then assigning the right forward playing position the numeral 2, the center forward position the numeral 3, etc., rearwardly in the rotation of players, a way is provided for keeping track. When a substitution is made, it is the rule that any future substitutions must be for that same serving position. This is a standard rule of the prior art.
Another rule of the game is that substitution can only be done two more times after the first entry at the start of the game.
With my counter, it is possible to tell at a glance how many times and at what position a player is being entered.
For example, if the playing position on a disc has had the numeral 3 marked on it in removable marking ink, then that means that player No. 3 has been entered at that position once. When the numeral 3 appears three times at that position, then the umpire must rule that he can no longer be entered at that position, nor at any position until that game is over.
It is necessary for the umpire and referee to know at all times who the captain of the team is. The position the captain is in at the start of a game can be marked at a position station on the respective disc by placing a numera "C" on the disc at that station. Whenever that player leaves the game, it is required for him to designate the new floor captain so that the umpire can mark the disc for the new floor captain.
I have conceived that by turning my counter upside down on one's arm at the eighth point of the third game, when by the rules, it is required that the team switch sides of the court, that both teams will be in proper rotation automatically by just turning my counter on one's arm. I have perceived that the rotation will still go clockwise and everything will move as before, even though the counter is upside down now on the umpire's wrist.
A further object is to provide a counter which can be worn either on the wrist or on the neck on a string or even on the referee's belt.
A further object is to provide straps so arranged and made of elastic material that they are adapted to fit either a large wristed or small wristed umpire without any adjustment.
In state tournaments, a third official is needed and my counter makes a very handy way for the third official to keep track of players, also.
A further object of my invention is to provide on the top of the counter two sets of numerals 1, 2, and 3. Each of these sets is on a different side of the net and these numerals can then refer to a first time-out, second time-out and third time-out. All the umpire need do is to take a felt marking pen which fits on the counter and cross out whichever numeral applies.
A particular object is to provide a holder for keeping a felt marking pen on the counter, so that in the rush of things, there is no tendency to mark up one's shirt accidentally by having to keep a marking pen on one's shirt for storage.
Yet another object is to provide disc-retarding means to keep the discs from coming out of place. One does not want this, and my concept is to use spring-positioned detent-engaging elements fixed to the frame engaging notches in the respective discs so as to automatically be received in a respective notch or detent. Then, by having six detents per each disc, it is possible to make each rotation the exact number of degrees for carrying out the positioning needed even in the speed of the game umpiring.
Still another object is to provide for the detent-engaging members to be so constructed as to prevent the disc from rotating in the undesired counter-clockwise direction.
A further object is to position a disc with respect to the frame so that each disc protrudes from the frame in such a way that a notch is in the middle of that portion of the disc which protrudes beyond the frame. Therefore, the umpire, in the speed of the game, can feel the notch with his finger, even without looking and can rotate the disc until the next notch is in the same position. This is a great convenience.
Still another object is to provide on one of the player-position stations on each disc a special mark to indicate serving position 1.
There is a rule that is very, very seldom enforced called the "spiking" line violation. In it the back line players, at the time they hit the ball, must not be on or in front of what is called the "spiking" line, unless they are hitting a ball that is lower than the net, or unless the ball they hit does not go over the net.